Time to fill your cup and eat up: It's Soup Sunday

Volunteers arrange a tray of confections at the FedExForum during 2017's Soup Sunday, where guests were treated to gourmet food samples from nearly 50 area restaurants and caterers.(Photo: Jim Weber, The Commercial Appeal)Buy Photo

Soup Sunday is an annual event that many people make a point of never missing, one that is approaching its 30th year but still draws a big crowd and has raised about $1 million for Youth Villages.

It's coming up this week, and here's what you need to know about it. It starts at 11 a.m. Sunday at FedExForum and with general admission, you get to stay on the lower level and sample all kinds of soups, breads and desserts from local restaurants, plus enjoy the Kids' Zone and listen to live music. Tickets are $20 for adults (13+), $10 for children 6-12, or you can buy a family pack that includes tickets for two adults and two kids for $50.

VIP Souper Party tickets gain you access to the club level in addition to the main floor. There you'll find catered food and cocktails, nice soft seating to relax in and a cozy atmosphere. Tickets for that are $75 for adults, $30 for children, and $110 per couple (two adults).

Grand opening

Tuesday (tonight, if you're reading this in this paper) is the grand opening of The Gray Canary and chef/owners Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman have invited a few chef friends to help them celebrate. John Currence of City Grocery in Oxford, Mike Lata of FIG in Charleston, Ryan Prewitt of Pesce in New Orleans and Cassidee Dabney of The Barn at Blackberry Farm will be there along with the local guys, and proceeds will benefit the Southern Foodways Alliance (look for John T. Edge in the house, too).

Tickets are $150, all-inclusive. The Bivalves, Beer and Bubbles reception begins at 6 p.m. and is followed by a five-course dinner, which is followed by an amaro cart attended by Brad Thomas Parsons, author of "Amaro: The Spirited World of Bittersweet, Herbal Liqueurs, with Cocktails, Recipes, and Formulas." Tickets are available at Eventbrite; click here: http://bit.ly/2sl8h9n

Currence, Lata and Prewitt are James Beard award-winning chefs, Parsons won a Beard award for his book "Bitters." This year Ticer, Hudman and Dabney are semifinalists for Best Chef awards, too.

Follow along on my Facebook page (see how to friend me at the end of the column) for Facebook Live videos of the dinner.

CA Lunch Bunch

Our Friday lunch this week is a rare opportunity to come one, come all. We usually have to limit because of space, but we're headed to STEAK by Melissa, just over the state line in Mississippi, and she has a huge place. So if you want to join us, sign on to calunchbunch.commercialappeal.com and sign up. The restaurant is 4975 Pepper Chase Drive in Southaven, just off the Church Road exit of I-55. Lunch is $20 and we'll be served a variety, six different items in all. We always have fun and Cookston, the "winningest woman in barbecue" promises to make it worth the drive. Hope to see you there; please reserve your spot by 5 p.m. Wednesday so we'll have a head count.

Restaurant news

Maciel's opened a second location last week, this one at 525 S. Highland in the former R.P. Billiards. And this time around, chef/owner Manuel Martinez has the backing of the group that includes Taylor Berger and is behind Loflin Yard, Railgarten and other local restaurants. Look for favorites from the Downtown Maciel's, plus a bar with specialty cocktails and a big patio. Read more about it in First Bites in Friday's GoMemphis, online Thursday.

In March, MemPops will open its third brick-and-mortar location at 3670 Houston Levee Road at Poplar Avenue. MemPops started out as a tiny food truck and since 2015 has opened a store at Park and Ridgeway and another in Crosstown Concourse, all the while maintaining a mobile presence. No set date has been announced yet, but it won't be long.

Cooking classes

March classes at L'Ecole Culinaire, 1245 N. Germantown Parkway in Cordova, include an intensive workshop for teens. Teen Cooking Techniques Workshop, $200 per person, is March 12-14, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

It's a hands-on, three-day workshop where teens will learn techniques used in traditional culinary arts, starting with knife skills and the basics on Day 1 and progressing to making a finished meal that students will share together on Day 3. Ages 13-17; register online soon as space is limited.

Other classes in March include the International Series: Morocco on March 2, 6-9 p.m. It's $99 and includes hands-on preparation of a three-course meal and wine pairing, all to be enjoyed after.

March Madness & Mixology is March 3, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; $75 per person. This class includes instruction on preparing hors d’oeuvres and secrets to making well-balanced cocktails.

In the Semi-Pro Series, it's fusion cooking on March 9, 6-9 p.m.; $55. Home cooks will learn to mix it up with flavor, fusing together international or regional cooking styles. This class will include instruction in three courses and wine pairings.

On March 10, the Chef Jr. Series focuses on baking, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; $55. The class is for teens ages 12-16 and includes kitchen safety, technique, and basic culinary math.

Recipe of the week

I could eat soup every day, and while I often cook without a recipe, I like to use recipes for soups (adjusting along the way for taste, of course) because if I don't, I often end up making things that taste much like the last pot of soup. Soup is also a great way to make sure I eat plenty of vegetables. Here's one from a book that recently came across my desk and that I recommend: "Leon Happy Soups," Rebecca Seal and John Vincent (Conran; $19.99)

Contact Jennifer Biggs at biggs@commercialappeal.com or 901-529-5223. Friend her on Facebook at facebook.com/jennifer.biggs.100.

Zucchini & Green Herb Soup

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound zucchini, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic, quartered

2 cups hot chicken or vegetable broth

1 tablespoon very finely chopped parsley

1 tablespoon very finely chopped basil

Pinch freshly grated nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

To serve

Grated parmesan

3 tablespoons heavy cream

More nutmeg, if desired

Directions

Place a large pan over low heat. Add oil, zucchini, garlic and a pinch of salt. Cook the vegetables very gently, stirring often, for 20 to 25 minutes, until the zucchini is very soft and garlic is just browning.

Add broth, turn up heat and simmer for two minutes. Removed from heat, add herbs and blend the soup until smooth and bright green. Stir in nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a generous sprinkle of Parmesan, a drizzle of cream and extra nutmeg if desired. Serves 2.